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managing time

A little insight on toddler time management…

Getting ready for school or to go out on an outing has proven to be quite a challenge.

Leaving me to feel ready to pull my hair out I sat down and really thought hard about the issue and realised that the actual getting dressed part isn’t the problem, it was her limited understanding of the time constraints that caused the issue. And so was born the ‘morning clock’ I first chatted to her about it and explained the idea of having a clock to help her know what time it is. Little tinker-fairy seemed quite excited at the prospect of having her very own clock, and off we went on an adventure to find a suitable clock. (easier said than done)

Coming home with our new clock we set about finding clip art to represent each facet of our morning routine (this is why all the little girls are blonde so they look like tinker-fairy) What a pleasure it has been that she now understands that the minute hand moves along each section showing her how much time she has to complete the task. If she doesn’t finish what she is supposed to do then the next section has less time available. When we hit the ‘red’ she knows that we HAVE to leave and whether she is finished with her breakfast or not we are leaving, and we leave it behind (they get breakfast at school so she doesn’t need it at home) Tinker-Fairy has also realised that on mornings when she doesn’t want to have breakfast that she has this time free to her to spend as she chooses, whether it be drawing, or playing, or even watching a bit of tv before we leave. Mornings are a pleasure now.

2014-05-28 ~ Just a quick update. The clock is still in the room and is a good reminder of how things should be done. However we’re not using it as intensely as we did in the beginning. It served a fantastic purpose of setting the tone and routine for the mornings. Mornings are still an absolute pleasure.